Missing Your W-2?

By January 31st, you should have received a Form W-2 from each of your employers. It's always a good idea to keep copies of all your pay statements in case you need to refer to them when filing your taxes.

If you haven't received your Form W-2 by January 31st, follow these three steps:

  1. Contact your employer(s) - Contact your employer to inquire when your Form W-2 was made available or mailed. If the form was mailed, it may have been returned because of an incorrect address. After contacting the employer, allow a reasonable amount of time for them to resend your Form W-2 or make it available to you.
  2. Contact the IRS - Contact the IRS for assistance at 800-829-1040 after February 15th if you are unable to obtain your Form W-2 from your employer(s). When you call, you must provide your name, address, city, state, zip code, Social Security number and phone number. You must also have the following information:

    • Your employer's name, address, city, state, zip code and phone number
    • Dates of employment
    • Estimate of the wages you earned, the federal income tax withheld, and when you worked for that employer during the income year. (The estimate should be based on year-to-date information from your final pay stub or leave and earnings statement, if possible.)

  3. File your return on time – You must still file your tax return or request an extension by the April filing deadline, even if you haven't received your Form W-2. If you have not received your Form W-2 by the deadline and have completed the necessary steps, you may use Form 4852, Substitute for Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement. Attach Form 4852* to your return, estimating income and withholding as accurately as possible. Be aware that any refund due may be delayed until the IRS verifies the information.

If you receive your missing Form W-2 after you filed, AND the information is different from what you reported on Form 4852, you must amend your return using Form 1040X*, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return.

*Forms 4852 and 1040X are available on IRS.gov (https://www.irs.gov), or by calling 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676). Our program currently does not support Form 4852.

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